Carmen Young - a Business Executive in the making

Carmen Young is a 19-year-old from East Sussex who completed her NVQ level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship in May 2017. Since completing her training, she has been taken on as a permanent Administration Officer by Sussex Partnership Trust.

Why Carmen chose an Apprenticeship?

Carmen wasn’t keen on staying on at school or college but preferred instead to progress her knowledge on the business side and gain practical work experience and qualifications. She was also keen to move up the career ladder as quickly as possible.

What has Carmen enjoyed the most about her Apprenticeship?

Carmen said that she really enjoyed getting to know people and learning practical skills within the workplace. She very much enjoyed learning about Equality and Diversity and learning about meetings; how to take notes etc. Throughout the Apprenticeship, Carmen said that she became much more confident and the help that she received from her Personal Tutor was brilliant.

Where there any challenges along the way?

Taking an apprenticeship meant that Carmen had to improve her way of working and using information. For example, it meant that for some tasks she was required to undertake research which she wasn’t good at previously, but doing this in the working environment with support really helped. The different tasks that she was required to learn about and undertake in the workplace meant that she had to push herself to learn many new things but the benefits definitely paid off.

Carmen’s advice to someone considering taking up an Apprenticeship is in Carmen’s own words:

“It is the best thing. I hated feeling like I was in school by still by being at college. Having an Apprenticeship changed my life and made me feel so much happier to be earning and learning and gaining something from it.”

In the future, Carmen plans to go on to take the Level 3 and progress towards management training and roles. Eventually, she would like to run her own business.

Would Carmen recommend Paragon Skills?

“Yes! They have been the best trainer! They make sure you have their time, they fit you in when it’s suitable for you, and are very supportive.”

The Apprenticeship has boosted my confidence and helped me stand out in the company. I would recommend if anyone is considering an Apprenticeship to just go for it. It makes you very attractive to other companies as they love people who like to learn.